The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo was on Tuesday, involved in a shouting match with members of the Senate and House Joint Committee on Labour, and was walked out.
Mr. Keyamo had been invited to brief the legislators on the Special Public Works Programme meant to employ 774,000 people across the 774 local government in Nigeria, which would gulp N52 billion.
But drama began when the Senate and House joint Committee on Labour inquired how the 20-man committee that would execute the programme were selected. The 20-man committee is chaired by the Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Nasir Ladan Argungun and supervised by Keyamo.
Mr. Argungun said he could only account for 8 members but did not know how the other 12 members got on the committee.
The lawmakers asked Mr. Keyamo to explain how the 12 members of the committee were selected. They said they were not pleased that the programme was wrapped in secrecy.
Mr. Keyamo got furious when the Chairman of the committee asked that the session proceeded into closed-door to address the issues.
But the Minister of State said since an allegation was made against him in public, he must be allowed to defend himself before journalists.
Keyamo’s rejection of the closed-door session prompted lawmakers to demand an apology from him. They said the Minister could not dictate how a National Assembly session would be conducted.
The lawmakers’ demand for an apology was rejected by the Minister. Mr. Keyamo then threatened to walk out on the lawmakers.
A shouting match then began. The committee members ordered the Minister to go if he would not obey them. The lawmakers called on sergeant-at-arms to get Mr Keyamo out.
Earlier, Mr. Keyamo had during the inauguration of state selection committee members, alleged that he was been pressured to yield to political leaders.
He said: “Before coming here today, there has been an attempt by certain political leaders to say I must come and see them behind the scenes first to determine who gets what and how, and I said no! I am ready at any time for a public debate on this with them.”
The meeting with the National Assembly ended abruptly.
- PHOTOS: After 48 Days in Hospital, Boy Labelled Witch and Abandoned is Discharged - August 8, 2021
- Travellers Complain Over Fly Infested Aminu Kano Airport - August 6, 2021
- Ondo 2020: Mimiko Criticises Akeredolu’s Performance - September 28, 2020
